The past several years have seen an explosion in the number and variety of internet-connected devices used by individuals on a daily basis. For example, a single person might use a desktop, a laptop, one or more smartphones or tablets, a gaming console, a smart watch, and a smart TV several times a day. As Internet-of-Things (IOT) devices continue to proliferate, the number of internet-connected devices used daily by individuals will grow.
The growth of diverse IOT devices presents a number of challenges. First, ensuring network performance, reliability, and security of the IOT devices will be more difficult because of their prevalence. Second, the notion of user experience will expand to cross device experience. This is exemplified by mechanisms that facilitate coordination between smart phones and smart watches, such as smart hubs and associated control applications for environment management. As a result, it would be desirable to establish user-, household-, and/or community-centric devices, for example, to enhance the experience across devices.